Envelope machine



ENVELOPE MACHINE Original Filed Nov. 13, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Arm/2amNov/ck.

BY QWM M ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 23, 1938 PATENT OFFICE m'lm ENVELOPE MACHINE brahamNovick. Hashim,

Machine 00., Inc.,

L. Smlthe a corporation of New N. Y., assignor to F. New York, N. Y.,York on mnappnesuon November 1:, 1933, Serial No. 697,788. nary 9, 1936,

11 Claims.

relates to envelope machines.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a collating devicefor taking blanks from a relativeiy'fast feeder and depositing them on arelatively slow feeder in overlapping relationship. It

is a feature of the invention that the collating device is arranged totravel at a variable speed.

In the preferred embodiment its speed at that point of its cycle, atwhich it receives the blanks from the fast feeder, is below its averagespeed and its speed at another portion of its cycle is greater thanaverage, the average speed being approximately equal to that of the saidfast feeder. The collating device is preferably so ar- 1 ranged, thatwhen ceive a blank from the high speed feeder it oper ates also todeliver a blank to the low speed feeder, so that the advantage of slowspeed is obtained at both its receiving and discharging points.

In the specific form of construction illustrated herein the collatingdevice comprises a convcyor having mounted thereon grippers or otherelements which are adapted to seize the blanks adjacent their leadingedges. These grippers are spaced from each other at least a blank lengthapart. Adjacent the receiving end, each gripper travels at relativelylow speed whereas the blank travels at relatively high speed. Theinsertion of the blank into the gripper is, therefore, relatively simplebecause the blank will enter the gripper by reason of its higher speed,this high speed being imparted to the blank by the relatively fastfeeder. The gripper after seizing the blank at its leading edgeaccelerates to a high speed and conveys the blank toward the deliveryand. Adjacent the delivery end the gripper speed is gradually reduced toapproximately the speed of the relatively low speed feed- 0 er. Thespeed of the blank is thus likewise reduced. The gripper is then openedand the blank is deposited on the slow speed feeder in overlappingrelationship to the blanks previously deposited thereon..

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No.897,768 filed November 13, 1933 for Envelope machines.

In the drawings forming part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, sectional, side elevation, partly diagrammatic,of a machine embodying features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary. P an view,

Divider! This invention partly broken it travels at low speed to reandthis application Jan- Serlal No. 58.835

away, illustrating a Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary, detail, plan view of a portion of the dryingconveyor;

Fig. 4 is a rear plan view of an envelope of the open-end type uponwhich the mechanism of the present invention is especially well adaptedto operate; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, sectional, side elevation of a portion of thedrier and the drying conveyor.

The mechanism indicated generally at l constitutes means for formingenvelope blanks into envelopes 1 of the kind illustrated in Fig. i. Thismechanism may be the same as that illustrated in my pending applicationSerial No. 6'? 1,630 filed May 18, 1933, for Envelope machines. Suchmechanism comprises gumming means for the sealing flap 8 to apply a gumpatch 1 thereto. The envelopes 2 leave the cylinder with the sealingflap trailing and with the undried gum patch l facing downward. Eachenvelope is fed between a roller 5 and feeding segments 8 fast on ashaft 1. The roller 5 and the segments 8 advance the envelope at thesame speed at which the mechanism l advances it. The envelope travelsalong guides I, the leading end of the envelope being delivered betweenfixed and movable gripper jaws l and It The gripper laws 8 and of acollating portion of the mechanism of III constitute elements device Hwhereby the spaced out envelopes are delivered to a drying conveyor II.The collating device acts to rearrange the envelopes in fanned-outrelation for drying. The collating device comprises a chain conveyor IIwhich carries two sets of the gripping jaws 8 and Ill. The chain It runsupon an idler sprocket I4 and a driven sprocket ii. The idler sprocketI4 is mounted loosely upon a shaft Ii at the discharge end of thecollating device while the sprocket I5 is mounted fast upon a drivenshaft H at the introductory end of the collating device. Collars l8mounted on the shaft it serves to open the grippers at the deliverypoint, while cams I! mounted on the shaft H but fixed against rotationserve to open the grippers at the receiving station.

The chain it is driven at the same average speed as the feeding segment8 but it is driven variably so that the grippers are travelingrelatively slowly at the receiving and delivering stations. Thisvariable drive is effected through the constantly rotating shaft 1whereby the segment 8 is carried. The shaft 1 has fast upon it a gear 20which meshes with a gear 2i fast on a shaft 22. An elliptical gear 23which is also fast upon the shaft 22 meshes with a cooperatingelliptical gear 24 fast on a shaft 25. The shaft 2! has fast upon it agear 26 which meshes with a pinion 21 fast on the shaft H. The effect ofthe variable speed feeding mechanism described is to cause the gripperswhen open at the recelving station to travel slowly so that the-envelopewhich is under the control of the roller and the segments 6 gains on thegrippers and has its bottom or leading edge in position to be securelygripped when the tail of gripper l0 snaps off of the high portion of camI9. The gripper is then quickly accelerated and sweeps the envelopeforward rapidly until the gripper nears the discharge station. The rapidadvance of the blank is effective to prevent the gummed sealing flapfrom dropping down and being dragged along the drying conveyor l2.

In addition to the instrumentaiities already described the collatingdevice comprises two sets of ratchet wheels 28 which are fast upon theshaft 15. The shaft i6 is driven at a rate such that the teeth of theratchet wheels 28 advance at the some linear speed as the dryingconveyor i2. The leading end of an envelope blank is carried intoengagement with vertical walls 29 of ratchet teeth at a time when thegripper controlling such envelope is slowed down substantially to thespeed at which the ratchet wheel uniformly travels. The envelope isaccordingly arrested without be-- ing subjected to any sudden blow bythe ratchet teeth walls 29. The gripper springs 3!) apply only a lightpressure to the envelope so that the envelope when intercepted by theratchet wheels may slip relative to the grippers before the grippershave actually been operated to release the envelope. At about the timewhen an envelope is brought into engagement with the ratchet toothshoulders hold-down rollers 3! carried by arms am are swung down topress the envelope against the preceding envelopes and the dryingconveyor l2 so that there can be no slipping of the envelope relative tothe drying conveyor. Further rollers 32 carried by pivoted arms 33 bearconstantly upon the envelopes on the drying conveyor and assist infeeding them. A stop 34 is provided on each arm 33 for limiting downwardswinging of the roller 32 when no envelopes are present. The stops 84onset with a bracket 35. The bracket 35 also carries a hold-down plate36.

The drying conveyor l2 comprises two parallel chains 31 and 38. Eachchain is composed of alternate wide and narrow links 29 and 40. Crossbars Ii are carried by corresponding links 20 of the two chains. Thecross bars I are provided at equal intervals, the cross bar spacingbeing the same as the space provided between the leading edges ofsuccessive envelopes as deposited upon the drying conveyor by thecollating mechanism which has been described. As illustrated in Figure2, each envelope is delivered with the sealing flap trailing and thegummed side of the sealing flap faced downward, onto the conveyor l2. Itis intended that each envelope shall have an ungummed portion of thesealing flap thereof restlng directly upon one of the cross bars ll.Since the collating mechanism arrests and positions the envelopes byengagement with the bottom edges thereof, the desired relation betweenthe sealing flaps and the cross bars will not be automatically securedfor different sizes of envelopes. Provision is accordingly made ofsuitable adjusting means such as set screws 42 whereby sprockets 43which drive the chains 31 and 38 may be adjusted and flxed relative totheir drive shaft II. The chain conveyors i2 run upon a pair of idlerend sprockets similar to the sprockets l2 and upon idlers intermediatesprockets 45 of which only a single pair is illustrated. The conveyor i2travels in an orbital path and acts to conduct the envelopes in both itsoutgoing and return stretches in proximity to a drier 46 which may be inthe form of a blower chest. It will be observed that the gummed portionsof the sealing flaps of the envelopes are invariably fully exposedthrough the conveyor 12 to the blower. Hold down belts l1 extend aroundan end roller 48 and beneath an apron or plate 49 adjacent the conveyori2. The apron l8 conforms in contour to the path of the conveyor l2throughout the outgoing stretch of the conveyor, around the idler endsprockets, and throughout the return stretch of the conveyor to a pointadjacent the sprockets 43. The belts 41 thus act as hold down belts inthe upper stretch of the conveyor and as supporting belts along thelower stretch of the conveyor 52. The belts 41 extend beyond the end ofthe apron 48, being supported upon rollers 80 of which only one isshown. The belts I! thus serve to conduct the envelopes away from theconveyor i2 to other instrumentallties of the machine. The belts 4'! areturned back around an end roller (not shown), the idle stretch beingguided outside the active stretch back to the end roller 48.

The chains 81 and I8 are spaced far enough apart to receive envelopes ofany usual width between them. The conveyor thus supports the envelopessolely upon the cross bars II which do not in any way obstruct orinterfere with the drying of the gum. Since the cross bars II areadapted to act with equal efllciency upon wide or narrow envelopes,there is no need for any lateral adjustments in connection with theconveyor i2. The belts ll are also adapted to act upon envelopes of anyusual width without adjustment. The only adjustment required, therefore,for adapting the drier to act upon blanks of different sizes is thelongitudinal adjustment of the conveyor chains 31 and 28 relative to thecollating mechanism.

It will be observed that cross-bars ll are positioned slightly below thecenter line of chain 4!. As a result of this the plane of the envelopescarried by the chain is substantially in the center of the chain, 1. e.,in line with pitch line of the chain. This arrangement prevents shiftingof the envelopes relative to the chain when the envelopes are carriedaround the sprockets.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of myinvention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodimentsshown. but what I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In an envelope machine, the combination with a fast feeder and arelatively slow feeder, of an interposed collating device for takingspacedout blanks from the fast feeder and depositing them on the slowfeeder in fanned-out relation, said collating device comprising aplurality of sets of grippers, a conveyor carrying the grippers throughorbital paths. means for opening the grippers at receiving anddelivering stations, and means for driving the conveyor at variablespeed to cause the grippers to travel slowly at the receiving anddelivering stations and at high speed between said stations.

2. In an envelope machine, the combination with a fast feeder and arelatively slow feeder,

of in interposed collating device for taking spaced-out blanks from thefast feeder and depositing them on the slow feeder in fanned-outrelation, said collating device comprising a pinrality of sets ofgrippers, a conveyor carrying the grippers through orbital paths, meansfor openin: the grippers at receiving and delivering stations, and meanscomprising elliptical gears for driving the conveyor at variable speedto cause the grippers to travel slowly at the receiving and deliveringstations and at high speed between said stations.

3. In an envelope machine, the combination with a fast feeder arrangedto deliver envelopes with the gummed sealing flap margins faced downwardand trailing and a relatively slow feeder for carrying the blanks duringdrying, of an interposed collating device traveling above the slowfeeder and in convergent relation therefor taking spaced-out blanks fromthe fast feeder and depositing them on the slow feeder in fanned-outrelation, comprising a set of grippers and means for driving thegrippers at substan 'tially the same average speed as the fast feederbut variably so that the grippers travel at a delivery station at'substantially the samespeed at which the slow feeder travels.

4. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed.

5. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed, theaverage of said speed being approximately that of the fast feeder.

6. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed, its speedat that point of its cycle at which it receives the blanks from the fastfeeder being below its average speed and its speed at another portion ofits cycle being greater than average.

'I. In combination, a relatively fast feeder a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder andde- Patent to. 2,127,568.

positing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, said collatingdevice being arranged to travel at a variable speed, its speed at thatpoint of its cycle at which it delivers blanks to the relatlvely slowfeeder being below its average speed and the speed at another portion ofits cycle being greater than average.

8. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed, its speedat that point of its cycle at which it receives the blank from the fastfeeder and at which it delivers blanks to the slow feeder being belowits average speed and its speed at another portion of its cycle beinggreater than average.

9. In combination a relatively fast feeder having means to advance amultiplicity of blanks positively in succession, a transfer device forreceiving blanks from said fast feeder, said transfer device comprisinga member moving in an orbital path and having grippers mounted thereonand means for controlling said grippers in such manner that they areopen to receive the blanks while they are in the control of therelatively fast feeder so that said blanks are fed positively into theopen jaws of said grippers by reason of the difference in speed betweensaid fast feeder and said transfer device and means for closing saidgrippers on said blanks after they have been inserted therein and forreleasing the blanks from the high speed feeder.

10. The novel envelope machine comprising a fast feeder and a slowfeeder operating at different uniform speeds, and a collating devicemovable at a cyclically variable speed and acting positively upon theblanks separately to reconcile said speeds in the transfer of blanksfrom the fast feeder to the slow feeder.

11. The method of collating blanks for the transfer thereof between afast stage of feeding and a relatively slow stage of feeding, saidmethod including the step of removing the blanks positively from onestage at the speed characteristics thereof, transferring them positivelyfrom stage to stage and delivering the blanks positively to anotherstage at its characteristic speed, varying the collating speed of theblanks intermediate said stages to reconcile the same.

ABRAHAM NOVICK.

August 25, 1958.

ABRAHAM novrcx.

Itiohoroby certified that error appears in the printed specification ofthe above nun b'ered patent requiring correction as follows:

Page 5 first oolm, l.i.ne 19, claim 3 for the-syllable thorr" readthereto; and second cola-n, line 1 6-147;- claim 11, forcharacteristics" read characteristic;

and that the said Letters Patent shonld be read with this correctionthereinthat the some may confornto the record of the case in the Patentoffice.

(Seal) .,Snod and sealed this 27th day or September, A. n. 19 8.

Henry Van Arsdal 9 Acting Commissioner of Patents.

of in interposed collating device for taking spaced-out blanks from thefast feeder and depositing them on the slow feeder in fanned-outrelation, said collating device comprising a pinrality of sets ofgrippers, a conveyor carrying the grippers through orbital paths, meansfor openin: the grippers at receiving and delivering stations, and meanscomprising elliptical gears for driving the conveyor at variable speedto cause the grippers to travel slowly at the receiving and deliveringstations and at high speed between said stations.

3. In an envelope machine, the combination with a fast feeder arrangedto deliver envelopes with the gummed sealing flap margins faced downwardand trailing and a relatively slow feeder for carrying the blanks duringdrying, of an interposed collating device traveling above the slowfeeder and in convergent relation therefor taking spaced-out blanks fromthe fast feeder and depositing them on the slow feeder in fanned-outrelation, comprising a set of grippers and means for driving thegrippers at substan 'tially the same average speed as the fast feederbut variably so that the grippers travel at a delivery station at'substantially the samespeed at which the slow feeder travels.

4. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed.

5. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed, theaverage of said speed being approximately that of the fast feeder.

6. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed, its speedat that point of its cycle at which it receives the blanks from the fastfeeder being below its average speed and its speed at another portion ofits cycle being greater than average.

'I. In combination, a relatively fast feeder a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder andde- Patent to. 2,127,568.

positing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, said collatingdevice being arranged to travel at a variable speed, its speed at thatpoint of its cycle at which it delivers blanks to the relatlvely slowfeeder being below its average speed and the speed at another portion ofits cycle being greater than average.

8. In combination, a relatively fast feeder, a relatively slow feederand a collating device for transferring blanks from the fast feeder anddepositing them in overlapping relation on the slow feeder, saidcollating device being arranged to travel at a variable speed, its speedat that point of its cycle at which it receives the blank from the fastfeeder and at which it delivers blanks to the slow feeder being belowits average speed and its speed at another portion of its cycle beinggreater than average.

9. In combination a relatively fast feeder having means to advance amultiplicity of blanks positively in succession, a transfer device forreceiving blanks from said fast feeder, said transfer device comprisinga member moving in an orbital path and having grippers mounted thereonand means for controlling said grippers in such manner that they areopen to receive the blanks while they are in the control of therelatively fast feeder so that said blanks are fed positively into theopen jaws of said grippers by reason of the difference in speed betweensaid fast feeder and said transfer device and means for closing saidgrippers on said blanks after they have been inserted therein and forreleasing the blanks from the high speed feeder.

10. The novel envelope machine comprising a fast feeder and a slowfeeder operating at different uniform speeds, and a collating devicemovable at a cyclically variable speed and acting positively upon theblanks separately to reconcile said speeds in the transfer of blanksfrom the fast feeder to the slow feeder.

11. The method of collating blanks for the transfer thereof between afast stage of feeding and a relatively slow stage of feeding, saidmethod including the step of removing the blanks positively from onestage at the speed characteristics thereof, transferring them positivelyfrom stage to stage and delivering the blanks positively to anotherstage at its characteristic speed, varying the collating speed of theblanks intermediate said stages to reconcile the same.

ABRAHAM NOVICK.

August 25, 1958.

ABRAHAM novrcx.

Itiohoroby certified that error appears in the printed specification ofthe above nun b'ered patent requiring correction as follows:

Page 5 first oolm, l.i.ne 19, claim 3 for the-syllable thorr" readthereto; and second cola-n, line 1 6-147;- claim 11, forcharacteristics" read characteristic;

and that the said Letters Patent shonld be read with this correctionthereinthat the some may confornto the record of the case in the Patentoffice.

(Seal) .,Snod and sealed this 27th day or September, A. n. 19 8.

Henry Van Arsdal 9 Acting Commissioner of Patents.

